Harry Kane's dramatic late brace secured England's progression in the World Cup, rescuing the team from what could have been a historic upset against DR Congo. The Bayern Munich striker scored twice in 11 minutes to secure a 2-1 victory and set up a last-16 showdown with co-hosts Mexico.
Manager Thomas Tuchel lauded Kane's performance, stating the striker "is getting better" with age and describing him and other top players like Kylian Mbappe as "sharks" who "smell blood" and score. Kane's double brings his tournament total to five goals and his season tally to 72, surpassing Brazil legend Pele's records.
England had trailed since the seventh minute of the match, played in Atlanta, after a strike from DR Congo's Brian Cipenga. Kane's equalizer came via a header, followed by a powerful finish for the winning goal.
Tuchel also commented on the team's performance under pressure, noting that he did not observe the "infamous weight of the white shirt" that is often attributed to England's struggles in major tournaments. He praised the team's resilience, emphasizing his message to "keep pounding the rock" and to "keep believing, keep on doing what we do. Don't give in."
Kane, 32, expressed his satisfaction with playing a heroic role. "It feels amazing," he told the BBC. "We spoke about having hero moments... for me it was today."
Looking ahead to the last-16 match in Mexico City, Tuchel acknowledged the challenge of playing at high altitude in the Azteca stadium, noting that Mexico will have a significant advantage due to the inability to fully acclimatize. "It will be one of the most beautiful fixtures," he said, "But my understanding is that we cannot adapt to the altitude. That is just a huge advantage that Mexico will have. It just takes too much time."
Tuchel also addressed the timing of the next match, which kicks off at 1 am local time. He humorously suggested parents write school excuses for children to watch the game, stating, "football is ahead for England. Let them watch, there will be a big match on in four days, and we need the support of everyone, especially the children."
For this match, Tuchel shifted Declan Rice to right-back as the team pushed for a result late in the game.